New Zealand Bans Weird Baby Names

[6Foot2]

Link: New Zealand bans weird baby names – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

I think that this could usefully be enforced here. While working in London supporting Primary and Secondary schools I saw some forenames for boys and girls that really made me wonder what the parents were thinking about.

 

The two that I recall most readily are:

1. Bed Spring
   
2. Beer Bottle
   

There were many other examples but I think you get the idea. I am all for allowing parents to make choices for their own kids. However when the names that are chosen for the children are beyond what could be described as ridiculous I would say that it is a form of abuse.

 

Of course the question of what is and what is not acceptable must fall to someone. Making that decision will not be easy when the name put forward for approval is out of the ordinary and has not traditionally been used as a name.

[russdev]

hmmm what if law had been enforced in 1800's half names that are normal today would not be allowed or even 20 years ago Jayden as name did not exist.

 

Sorry not decision of anyone other than parent no matter how mis guided...

 

Now if saying naming someone in your example bed spring is abuse then use that law and bring it before a judge etc. However for single person to decide sorry they may decide that name Jane can't be used because of his ex-wife/mother law/their high school maths teacher (you get the idea).

 

Russ

[featured_spectre]

If the name is overtly weird for the sake of being weird, then yes I fully agree...if however there is a specific reason (for example Brooklyn is a name that went out of fashion by the 1930's, but the beckhams used it because thats where they conceived the child and its now back in fashion) then I dont mind the names being a bit weird

[SYNACK]

Given some of the names that have come through various schools here I can only breath a sigh of releif, if only for the database system. Some kids have first names above the 256 character limit ususally imposed by shorter DB fields.

[_Bob_]

Well I know what I'll be naming my first...

xkcd: Exploits of a Mom

[featured_spectre]

That is awesome....little bobby tables! lmao

[X-13]

BOOOO!!

 

There goes my plan to have a couple of kids, name the Godzilla and Mothra and laugh madly when they inevitably start fighting.

[Guest Guest]

Now if saying naming someone in your example bed spring is abuse then use that law and bring it before a judge etc.

 

But who's going to do that? The 5 year old kid who is getting tortured at school? By the time they are old enough to do anything about it the damage will have been done.

 

 

I consider myself to be quite liberal but seeing some of the names kids are given, including taking their mothers, fathers, and step fathers double barrelled names (ok thats a bit of an exaggeration), it does make me wonder if expecting parents should sit a sanity test.

[synaesthesia]

Disappointing that Kiwi's won't be able to call their kids Marmaduke Chompamuffin

[russdev]

But who's going to do that? The 5 year old kid who is getting tortured at school? By the time they are old enough to do anything about it the damage will have been done.

 

 

I consider myself to be quite liberal but seeing some of the names kids are given, including taking their mothers, fathers, and step fathers double barrelled names (ok thats a bit of an exaggeration), it does make me wonder if expecting parents should sit a sanity test.

 

Point is if someone is going to say that name is not correct to use then they can say that name is abuse lets take it to court where legal system can decide and more importantly parents have a right to appeal.

 

I have no issue with Law but law should decide if name is ok not a civil servant and every time parent should have some right to appeal.

 

Russ

[Ketlane]

Here is one report on the original case: Parents lose custody of girl for naming her Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

[witch]

Disappointing that Kiwi's won't be able to call their kids Marmaduke Chompamuffin

 

Marmaduke is perfectly reasonable name.

 

I'm with Russ on this - yes, it is not good for a child to be given a strange name, but who decides? After all, Native Americans give their children what we might consider to be odd names but it is traditional in their culture - are they to be stopped from doing this?

As for the child being taken away from its parents - nonsense when she could just be called Tallula which is an ordinary name. Lots of people have middle names they hate - and in the schools I work in, noone knows the middle names anyway

[brianna54]

Now there will be no more some "unique" names at New Zeeland, too bad.